A crackdown on 'dangerous' breeding may see Pugs and French Bulldogs banned all across the country.
Pet charity Blue Cross has vowed to tackle the breeds, stating that breeders are guilty of a "vicious cycle of over-breeding". Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs at Blue Cross, told The Sun: "We have already started contacting MPs. Ultimately Blue Cross is determined to see the end of the poor breeding of flat-faced dogs and are considering all options both legislative and non-legislative to achieve this."
According to the charity, a rise in "cute" advertisements prevalent on social media has led to a rise in demands for French Bulldogs and Pugs who are being diagnosed with health issued. In particular, French Bulldogs can be diagnosed with conditions such as pulmonic stenosis - where the dog has 3/6 heart murmur, a common genetic issue in the breed, Birmingham Live reports.
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Currently, 20 per cent of dogs in the UK are flat-faced breeds, according to the charity. But due to the rise in popularity of such breeders, there has been growing cases of poor breeding with Blue Cross vets claiming to have treated 5,000 brachycephalic pets in the previous two years.
There are four breeds of dog that are banned in the UK: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. According to the government, a dog's legal status is based "on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name."
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The RSPCA argues that dogs "should not be judged on how they look" and have called for the policy to be changed. Currently, police and council wardens have the power to take a banned dog away, even if it's not acting dangerously or if there has been no complaint.
But, if the dog is in a private place then the police need to issue a warrant before they can seize it.
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